It’s the time of year, once again, for giving.
Whether it’s gifts, time, attention or even cookies,
most people have giving on their
minds. The Bellevue Club
is no exception. The members here stay busy year-round giving their time,
their money and their expertise to help others in need. Whether it’s helping
find a cure for cancer, helping dogs find permanent homes or helping recent immigrants
learn English, each of the following members is working hard at a charitable cause.
AIDING AFTER THE STORM After Hurricane Katrina ripped through Gulf Coast in 2005, a call for Red Cross volunteers was answered by Betsy Weyer. She says she went through all the training, but once she was finished, the organization wasn’t sending any more volunteers from the Seattle area. Still wanting to volunteer, Betsy found Catholic Charities in Seattle and was sent to Biloxi, Miss., in October 2005 to help with relief work. For 10 days, Betsy helped deliver supplies, worked in a food warehouse and started gutting houses. Betsy returned to the area in December 2005, this time with her son, Andy. “He wanted to go down but, of course, he couldn’t get out of school
Andy and Betsy standing in front of a house they helped build this year in Mississippi with Habitat for Humanity.
over the first (trip), so we went over Christmas break,” says Betsy. During the second trip the pair continued work on gutting houses. “I saw pictures on TV and it looks bad, (but) you get down there and you realize how bad it is,” says Andy. “We see what they’ve lost, how much hasn’t actually been done, what needs to be done. It’s surreal down there.” The pair continued their work in Mississippi on two trips with Habitat for Humanity. Betsy had originally signed up to volunteer with the organization before her first trip, and was contacted early in 2006,
Betsy cuts 2 x 4s with a power saw to help build
a Habitat for Humanity house in spring of 2006.
leading to her trip in the spring. When Andy decided he wanted to return to the area, they contacted Habitat for Humanity again and worked on houses again during Andy’s spring break in 2007. “I like the experience of it,” says Andy, “so I went down again.” Andy skipped the traditional senior trip to Hawaii, saying he’d rather help others than spend money in Hawaii. He also says he’d like to go back when on break from college this school year. For the Weyers, the trips were worth it because the residents they encountered were so grateful for any help received. “It’s basically saving their life because they didn’t really have any money,” says Andy. Betsy also says the poverty was unlike anything seen in the Seattle area—one grandmother tried to do what she could to repay volunteers. “There were 10 of us working on her big, huge, beautiful 100-year-old house. Nothing had been done and it was December. There were a bunch of us cleaning it out. She was in her trailer in her jammies and she tried to give us each a dollar when we left ... Most of these people just couldn’t do it on their own, without help.”
Kerry and her Masters swim coach, Karen Dugan. Kerry says even when she couldn’t swim with the team, she would do yoga by the side of the pool.
LOVE CAN CARRY HER THROUGH Kerry Sussex put off getting a hysterectomy so she could attend her son’s graduation from the University of Southern California. At the same time, her daughter was visiting from Australia to not only see her brother graduate, but also to announce her engagement. “I had a lot of family excitement going on,” says Kerry. “We scheduled everything around those events.” While the doctors initially told her it was a benign growth, when Kerry woke up from surgery she learned she had stage 4 ovarian cancer. “It really is a life-changing thing to have a diagnosis like that,” she says. “It makes you evaluate your life and look at the important things that are going on.” Kerry swims with the Masters Swim group at the Bellevue Club, and has always been active. Despite the diagnosis and her new treatment regimen, Kerry decided to train for and participate in the Marsha Rivkin run and walk event. Kerry says in her life she had often been the coach, supporting others to succeed. With this event, however, she knew she’d be the one that needed the support to achieve the goal. And her friends rallied around and helped.
Team Sussex was created and was more than 100 members strong at the 2007 Marsha Rivkin run and walk. Kerry asked her longtime friend, Marilyn Dierickx, to rally people together and help organize them for the event. “Kerry is such a good friend,” says Marilyn. She wanted to help “because she is loved by so many. It was really fun, even though it was a rainy day.” Team Sussex raised more than $11,000 for the Marsha
Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research. Kerry says the feeling on that day was unbelievable. “You could either do a 10k (run), and there were a lot of hills involved, or you could do a 5k walk. At my stage of the game, since it wasn’t even going to be 10 weeks since my major surgery, I just committed to the walk. But I tell you, the support and the strength that I had just by the outpouring of love could have carried me through a 10k run. It was amazing.” For information about how to donate to Team Sussex, e-mail Marilyn at marilyndierickx@comcast.net.
Kerry says a friend created the white hats that read “Team Sussex.”
IMPROVING LIVES AND EMPOWERING WOMEN Kathleen Miller has been involved with Washington Women in Need since the beginning. In fact, she still sits on the board of the nonprofit as a founding member. She says she became involved with WWIN when the founder, Julia Pritt, asked her if she would be a counselor on the board, knowing Kathleen was in private practice as a marriage and family counselor. WWIN’s slogan, and mission, is “Improving the lives of low-income women.” They do this by awarding
grants to women for mental health care, dental care, vision or hearing services, health-care insurance premiums or copays and education expenses like tuition, books and supplies. The difference with WWIN is that recipients are able to choose any licensed medical professional for services or attend any accredited school with the grant money. Also with WWIN, the women are not referred to the organization. They must seek out the help on their own, fill out the application and meet minimum requirements, such as income level and a GPA requirement for educational grants. This, in turn, gives the women a sense of empowerment, helping them to continue improving their lives. The average client income at WWIN is $10,000 a year, and around 38 percent of clients are supporting dependent children. More than 3,700 women have received assistance since the founding of the nonprofit in 1992. The organization grants the money donated the year prior, so they always know exactly how much money they have. During the 2007/08 year, WWIN will give away $775,000 in grant money. One hundred percent of the donations WWIN receives go directly toward grants for clients. This is because Julia personally donates the money necessary for the organization’s operations. Kathleen says working with WWIN makes her feel good. “Having a vehicle of such a fine organization that facilitates the opportunity to give in all the different ways that I can ... it makes my heart swell,” she says. For more information about Washington Women in Need, visit www.wawomeninneed.org.
Pangea has funded a number of water projects in South America.
BECOMING A BETTER GLOBAL CITIZEN After 9/11, many Americans were asking themselves what happened, and how their role in the world’s stage was changing. For a group of Seattleites, these questions turned into Pangea, an organization that works to create better global citizens through education and creating an international funding collaborative. Linda Mason is the board’s president, and the organization is currently in its fifth grant cycle. “Membership really drives what countries and what issues we’re looking at,” says Linda. Currently, Pangea has 35 members. The first few grant cycles, Pangea awarded money mostly to South American organizations. Then the group expanded into Africa, and Linda says they might begin looking at regions in Asia. As part of their education mission, Pangea brings speakers to Seattle to talk about their work in other parts of the world. Past talks have covered topics such as empowering women and youth in the fight against AIDS in Africa, democracy and human rights in Palestine and global water issues. Also, members are able to travel to areas where they’ve funded projects to see efforts in action. Linda has been to Nicaragua; Oaxaca, Mexico; and East Africa. “That’s probably the best part of the whole process—actually being able to meet the people that have benefited from the project,” she says.
Members contribute money to the organization’s grant pool annually, which is then awarded in small grants. Linda says the group hopes to award $80,000 to $90,000 this year. They have funded diverse projects, including building cisterns in Oaxaca for farmers, buying pumps and hoses in Kenya so farmers could pump water out of Lake Victoria, peer-to-peer education about youth empowerment among the Masai in Africa and much more. The organization is always ready for new members. “The whole purpose, our whole mission is to increase the number of people engaged in international issues and international philanthropy,” says Linda. For more information about Pangea, visit www.pangeagiving.org.
The countries Pangea looks at are dependent on what the membership is interested in. They currently fund projects in South America and Africa, and are looking into countries in Asia.
CONTINUING A LEGACY Craig Fischer remembers his mom, Babs, as a woman who enjoyed charity work and found ways to give back to the community her entire life. He says volunteering was instilled in him from a young age. So when Babs was told she had ovarian cancer in 2002, Craig started a golfing event to help raise money for ovarian cancer research. The first event, held at Willows Run Golf Course in Redmond, raised $25,000. “It was a nice day for her and our family,” Craig says. The family continued the golfing event the next two years, and after
Babs Fisher
Babs lost her battle with cancer, a dinner and auction was added to raise even more money. Out of these events, the Fisher Foundation for Family Health was born. The money the foundation raises is passed along to the Marsha Rivkin Foundation. Craig says the foundation was started as a better way to keep track of funds being raised—the Marsha Rivkin Center was not set up to do it.
The Fisher Foundation recently held the sixth-annual soiree and golf invitational and, to date, people have given close to $1 million. As part of the dinner and auction, the Babs Fisher Pilot Study Award is given out, which funds ovarian cancer research. Craig says they want the money to go directly to an area of research where people can make breakthroughs. Craig remembers that the first golf event started with his wedding list—family and friends who enjoyed golfing and might come out in support. The events have grown from that list to this year hosting around 140 people at the golf invitational and 400 people at the dinner and auction. Craig says the fund-
Eric and Sorleah Fisher, Eddie Fisher, Kim and Craig Fisher, and Lauren and Rod Fisher (l-r).
raising and Fisher Foundation are really a legacy that Babs has left behind—a testament to everything she did while she was alive. “The interesting part,” says Craig, “it doesn’t take a whole lot to reach amazing goals.”
DONATING LIFE Diana Clark has been working in health care for more than 50 years, and she says her current role as the president and chief executive officer of LifeCenter Northwest is the most rewarding job she’s held. For 10 years, Diana has been working to increase organ donor awareness and help place donated organs with LifeCenter Northwest. LifeCenter Northwest is one of
58 organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States. They are all federally regulated through the Medicare program. LifeCenter Northwest serves Washington, northern Idaho, Montana and Alaska—it is the largest OPO by landmass in the country. Hospitals will contact the organization when they identify a potential donor and someone from LifeCenter Northwest speaks with the family. If a donation happens, they then identify matches and get the organs on their way to the recipient. LifeCenter Northwest also provides after-donation follow-ups with the family for 18 months, answering any questions about the donation and checking in during difficult times of year, like holidays.
LifeCenter Northwest formed the Living Legacy Foundation because when money is tight, public education about organ and tissue donations is often the first thing to be cut. Through the foundation, money can be raised specifically for the education that Diana says is so important. If a potential donor has not registered as an organ donor, lack of information and misinformation can make a difficult situation even more difficult when a family not only just tragically lost a loved one, but also now has to decide if that person would have wanted organs donated. Up to 50 people can have their lives saved or enhanced from just one donor. “The neat thing about transplant is it gives people a second chance,” says Diana. “It’s neat to be involved in something that—even though it’s about death, it’s about saving lives ... That person didn’t die to save somebody else’s life, it just so happens now you have an opportunity.” Diana calls donor families heroes because “there are lots of people who are very giving, there are lots of people who are met with tragedy, there are lots of people who are just wonderful, but I can’t personally imagine what it’s like to lose my child and be in the throes of the ICU in Harborview and say ‘I want to save somebody else’s life.’ I can’t imagine. I think those are the real heroes, and I consider my job a privilege.” For more information about organ donation, LifeCenter Northwest and the Living Legacy Foundation, or to register to be an organ donor, visit www.lifecenternorthwest.org.
RENAISSANCE VOLUNTEER Since retiring from a banking career in 1988, Gifford Thomas has racked up countless hours of community service. Currently, he volunteers for the Puget Sound Blood Center at a local blood bank, creates sets for the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society and helps the Overlake Service League. Gifford says he is also active with the Bellevue Christian Church. Gifford started volunteering at the blood bank when his late wife was unable to volunteer at her normal shift one week. He went in her place, and has been volunteering ever since. His job is to make sure donors don’t have a reaction after the donation, and he also
serves juice and cookies. “It certainly gives one a satisfying feeling about having done something worthwhile,” he says. For about three months each year, Gifford stays busy constructing sets for the Gilbert and Sullivan Society. He completed his seventh show this year. The society is one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Seattle, performing one Gilbert and Sullivan operetta each year. While all the sets require hard work, the few that stick out in Gifford’s mind are a hand-cut skyline of Venice that he sawed out of 54 feet of plywood, a movable platform for sets that rotated via remote control and the set from “The Sorcerer”—“That’s probably one of the most satisfying and complex sets that I’ve worked on.”
All of his volunteer work, in a way, caused Gifford to also become involved with Overlake Service League, a nonprofit that Gifford says is “perhaps one of the most important local organizations in terms of identifying and helping needy families of any that I’ve ever seen.” He was recruited by a fellow bridge player, and says once he got on the list, he just continued helping. Overlake Service League has two main, large programs Gifford helps with. One is called Breaktime/Mealtime, where food is provided for needy children during school breaks. Gifford and other volunteers sort all the donated food into individual packages that are then sent, in bulk, to Bellevue schools to distribute to children identified by the school district. The other program provides a Christmas for needy families—local organizations adopt families and put together gifts for individual families. Gifford says volunteers spend a lot of time getting Bellevue Christian Church ready for delivery and allocation of gifts, then help carry donations in—and back out with the families that receive them. “It’s a very worthwhile effort and I know the
organization ... does a good job,” he says. With all the different places Gifford gives his time,
“I feel pretty busy sometimes.” For more information, visit the following Web sites: Puget Sound Blood Center, www.psbc.org; Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society, www.pattersong.org; Overlake Service League, www.overlakeserviceleague.com.
EMPOWERING OTHERS WITH WORDS Dr. Peter Knoepfler says he enjoys teaching. It’s something
he has been doing for more than
30 years. After he retired from his psychiatry practice, he still taught first-year medical students at the
University of Washington, helping them learn how to interview patients and do patient write-ups. Currently, Peter is teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at the Multicultural Center at Crossroads in Bellevue. Peter speaks seven languages, with German and Hungarian as his first two. This doesn’t always make it easy to teach ESL classes, however. “In the romance languages, there are a lot of similarities. Sometimes it’s hard to know which is which,” he says. For Peter, teaching ESL means giving people a chance who otherwise wouldn’t have one. He enjoys teaching the adults at the Multicultural Center because they are so motivated to learn. He gave the example of a couple from Uzbekistan. The husband was an architect and the wife was a surgeon, but in the United States, because they couldn’t speak English, “they’re nothing,” Peter says. By teaching English to his students, Peter is helping them return to their professional careers, something the
students might not be able to do without classes.
GIVING ASSISTANCE WHEN IT IS NEEDED THE MOST After her husband died in 1989, Connie Shain found help and comfort at a grievance clinic at Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland. She says they suggested spending time at the hospital as a volunteer. Connie wasn’t new to volunteering—she was involved with both the Red Cross and local food banks. She says she found everyone to be very friendly, and has been helping out for 16 years. Connie has spent her time at the hospital at the Green Information Desk, and says she likes it there because in addition to answering questions and giving directions to people visiting the hospital, she gets to run errands for various hospital employees. Her favorite duty, however, is discharging people—”I like the patient contact,” she says. Since moving from Woodinville to Newcastle, Connie has decreased her days at the hospital to once a week, but has still put in more than 3,600 hours of service. Even though some of those days are harder than others, Connie says she continues to do it because it is rewarding, and it also brings her back to reality. “Maybe you wake up with a backache or your knee hurts or something. When you’re visiting these patients and you see people so worse off than you are, you realize life isn’t so bad after all,” she says.
CARING FOR OUR FURRY FRIENDS Tammy Halstead first found out about the Seattle Pug Rescue organization in 2003 when her longtime pug had surgery for a herniated disk and wasn’t recovering well. Tammy decided to get another pug because soon her pug would have to be put down. One new pug turned into two and through the Seattle Pug Rescue, Puggy and Smudge came to join the family. “When I first got them they were like deer in headlights,” says Tammy. “They had been in an abusive home, then they were in a foster home, then they came to me. They just didn’t understand what was going on.” Now, Puggy and Smudge are a happy part of the family. Through her experience adopting dogs and attending SPR’s fund-raiser, Pugapalooza, Tammy started
Puggy, Smudge and Kyle (l-r). Tammy adopted Puggy and Smudge in 2003. Kyle was her foster dog, who has since been adopted into a forever home. Kyle’s new home includes a pug who does agility training. His owner says Kyle will also try his paw at agility.
volunteering with the rescue, and is now the placement coordinator, matching available dogs to families who have applied. When Seattle Pug Rescue gets a dog, it is taken to a vet for a checkup, and any medical issues are addressed. The dog is also spayed or neutered if it hasn’t already been fixed. Dogs are then placed in foster homes to receive an evaluation and training, and to live until a “forever home” can be found. In 2006, Seattle Pug Rescue placed 62 pugs in new homes.
The SPR pugs come from Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Washington. People will surrender dogs for a variety of reasons, including having a new baby, finding out the dog is too much work and inability to pay for medical care for a sick dog. As part of adopting from the Seattle Pug Rescue, dogs that require ongoing medical treatment or medication have fees paid for by SPR through their Helping Hands program. Helping new owners pay these bills makes those pugs more desirable. And the ultimate goal is to find their pugs new, loving homes. Seattle Pug Rescue doesn’t solicit funds. Instead, they charge an adoption fee to help pay medical costs and once a year hold Pugapalooza, a gathering of people and their pugs. The gala includes an entrance fee and a silent auction. Tammy says there are also costume contests, races, obedience-training demonstrations and a tricks contest (all for the dogs, of course). “It is hysterical.
We draw 500 pugs and their pug families.” For Tammy, volunteering with Seattle Pug Rescue is more rewarding than fun. “There are a lot of philanthropic things that people do that are fun,” she says. “This is just very rewarding when you find a home and you find a dog and it’s a good fit.”
Tammy also volunteers for Washington CASH, which she says is fun for her because it is in line with her business background. Washington CASH (Community Alliance for Self-Help) provides microfinance loans to low-income individuals who have a business idea they want to pursue. Tammy works as a coach, helping recipients find answers to their business questions. For more information about these nonprofits, visit www.seattlepugs.com or www.washingtoncash.org.
HELPING CHURCHES HELP OTHERS After his term at treasurer at his church came to an end, Joe Hart was approached by a woman who was a coordinator with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, who said she knew a perfect job for him. Joe decided to take the volunteer position as the financial director for the East King County chapter and is currently serving his third year of a four-year term. The East King County chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans provides matching funds up to 50 cents per dollar, for congregations of the Lutheran churches in their area. These funds are given to groups that either hold a fund-raiser or participate in some type of hands-on activity. Joe says one commonly funded event is a yearly car and dog wash on Mercer Island. Applicants for the funds submit a form that the board of the local chapter then reviews. In mid-August, Joe says the board had received about 60 applications. In 2006 they reviewed 90
applications. The chapter’s money is awarded by Thrivent Financial’s home office in Wisconsin. Joe says this year they were given more than $44,000 to distribute locally through matching-fund grants. And although locally they don’t receive a lot of money to distribute, there are hundreds of chapters throughout the country. Joe says he gets satisfaction from his work as the financial director, knowing that he’s helping people. “What we really say is we’re doing the Lord’s work and his work is never done, so we’re just helping.”
RAISING MONEY WHILE SUPPORTING A FRIEND Lymphangioleiomyomatosis, commonly referred to as LAM, is one of those diseases most people haven’t heard of. It is a disease most common in women of childbearing age, when an unusual type of smooth muscle cell grows uncontrollably, invading the lungs and destroying healthy tissue.
As the disease progresses, holes appear in the lungs, making breathing a daily battle. Julie Varon first learned about the disease when a close friend was diagnosed. Gina Dichter was pregnant with her second child when she, for the second time, experienced what the doctors thought was a kidney problem. It turned out to be LAM, which can
Julie Varon, Gina Dichter and Debbi Halela, who works with Julie to put together the yearly holiday bazaar.
cause kidney tumors in 40 percent of patients. Julie says the average life expectancy for someone with LAM is 10 years. For her friend, Gina, “We’re at 10 years and she’s the picture of health to look at. She lives her life to the fullest and you really wouldn’t know,” says Julie. For years after Gina’s illness was diagnosed, the Jewish community banded together to host a “Breath of Hope” event to raise money for the LAM Foundation, a nonprofit organization that funds research for a cure. The event, an annual auction, raised more than $2 million. Last May was the last year the event took place—Julie says the organizers, including many of Gina’s family members, felt it was time to focus inward on the family once again. The fund-raising in Washington hasn’t stopped, however. For the past three years, Julie and her friend Debbi Halela, have hosted a holiday bazaar at Julie’s home in Newcastle. The event gives people the chance to get some holiday shopping done in one spot. Julie says they’ve even had facials and makeup available at the event. A percentage of the proceeds is given to the LAM Foundation. “It’s not huge on the dollars, but it helps with the awareness,” she says. Even so, every dollar helps, and recent research is promising. Julie says researchers have identified the genetic basis for the disease, and there is currently a clinical trial in progress for a possible treatment for LAM.
“It’s about a friend and a disease that doesn’t have a lot of big money behind it,” says Julie. “But it’s so close to being nipped in the bud, and it’s kind of a race for time.” This year’s bazaar is scheduled for Nov. 3. Anyone interested in supporting the LAM Foundation while doing holiday shopping can contact Julie at 425-444-7253 or julie@anewcastle4u.com.
TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR HEALTH After Sandi Schoenfeld was told she has breast cancer in 2004, she became friends with a woman named Heiki Malakoff, who was also fighting the disease. Heiki, a 30-something mother of three, realized after her diagnosis that women often didn’t think about their breast health. Heiki starting thinking about a party concept for educating women about breast health, something Sandi knew she wanted to be a part of. Check Your Boobies, the organization Heiki founded, celebrated its second year of educating women in October. During a Check Your Boobies party, a hostess will gather a group of women together, where they will learn about breast health from a
Sandi Schoenfeld (in pink) with the founder of Check Your Boobies, Heiki Malakoff.
certified instructor and also hear the story of a breast cancer survivor. Part of the program is a fun, nonclinical atmosphere, where the women in attendance can ask any and all questions of either the breast-health instructor or the breast cancer survivor. Sandi says she’s seen parties that include everything from elaborate dinners to casual desserts. The only obligation for the hostess is to gather women together. The parties give women the chance to “have a little time to not do anything but think about themselves and their health,” says Sandi. Sandi is one of the organization’s breast cancer survivors that attend the parties to tell her story. This is part of the party because it shows women it’s not a death sentence—especially if caught early. Sandi says she’s finding many women are afraid to check their breasts. “They don’t want to find anything, and so it’s better not to even think about it or deal with it.” She adds the goals of the parties are not to talk about breast cancer but to educate women about breast health. “I want to plant seeds. I want women to feel confident and comfortable and not afraid. Being afraid just paralyzes you to do nothing.” For more information about Check Your Boobies, or to host your own party, visit www.checkyourboobies.org.
Penny Matlick works at the Overlake Discovery Shop helping organize floor merchandise and create the store’s front window display.
RESALE FOR RESEARCH Seven years ago, Penny Matlick’s sister was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Although Penny owns her own business as a private jeweler, she carved time out of her schedule to volunteer at the Overlake location of the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop, and has now been there three-and-a-half years. The upscale resale store sells gently used and brand-new donated clothing and household goods well below retail prices. Penny’s job at the store is organizing merchandise on the floor and creating the large window display each month. “I think it’s the best job in the whole place,” she says. “I absolutely love it.” In addition, Penny was appointed to vice chair on the board of directors, which she says is an exciting role. The Overlake store is open seven days a week, and there are 55 volunteers who work at the store, ranging from teenagers to 90-somethings. All donated merchandise is sorted, and anything the store can’t use is passed along to other charities. Before anything is placed on the floor it is inspected and, if needed, washed and repaired. A recent visit to the store turned up a brand-new leather couch, Ralph Lauren handbags (with tags still attached), Ann Taylor clothing and a variety of like-new children’s toys. While the store isn’t huge, it is full of household items,
clothing for the entire family and a few pieces of furniture. “You can go in there every day and get something new,” says Penny. “It’s an adventure to go in.” There are 11 Discovery Shops in Washington and Oregon that last year raised more than $600,000 for the American Cancer Society. For more information, visit www.cancer.org.
PIECING TOGETHER THE PUZZLE Veronica Canaday and her husband, John, knew something wasn’t right with their son when he started bouncing constantly. Veronica says while it started with 10 minutes of bouncing, their son, Grant, would soon bounce for two hours. While their son was going through a six-month evaluation to see if he was autistic, the Canadays accepted that if he was, they would do what they needed to, to get him help. Autism is just one of a group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders. Others include Asperger’s
Veronica, John and Grant Canaday (l-r)
Syndrome, Rett syndrome and Childhood Disintegrative disorder. Veronica says her son does not have autism, but he does require speech and motor skills therapy. Because of her experience, however, Veronica started volunteering with Autism Speaks, an organization that recently celebrated its second year. Autism Speaks works to fund research into causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism, as well as bring awareness to the disease. Current research shows 1 in 150 children—more boys than girls—have some form of autism. Fund-raisers for the organization include walks that happen around the United States, including one in Tacoma and one in Seattle. Veronica is the Seattle chapter’s volunteer coordinator. She recruits volunteers for both walks and any other events that are held in the area. For Veronica, learning about the families living with autism is the best part of volunteering with Autism Speaks. Autistic children live in their own world, and usually don’t speak—parents can’t hear an “I love you”—and often don’t like to be touched, meaning no hugs for mom and dad. Veronica says things that might seem simple for other children are big milestones for parents of autistic kids. It’s hearing about these improvements and seeing parents fight to help their kids get better that is the most rewarding. For more information about Autism Speaks, visit www.autismspeaks.org.
Mitch Flippo, Elise Purcell, Clint Flippo and Mark Flippo (l-r). Elise and Mark’s involvement with the Food Allergy Initiative started because Clint has a life-threatening allergy to peanuts and tree nuts. Since they’ve been involved, Mitch has developed an allergy to shellfish.
CREATING AWARENESS ABOUT DANGEROUS FOOD When Elise Purcell’s 5-year-old son, Clint Flippo, was 2, he experienced his first reaction to peanuts. The family was attending a Mariners game when Clint started gasping for air and itching his throat and neck. “All I could see when we left the game was the peanut dust in the air, all around us,” says Elise. The family had an inkling that peanuts might be an allergen for Clint, but it was a few weeks before they could see an allergist. In the meantime, Clint was given chocolate by a babysitter that was contaminated with peanuts, this time sending the boy into full anaphylactic shock. Now, Clint always has an EpiPen close by, and Elise and her husband, Mark Flippo, maintain a safe environment around Clint as much as possible. After learning their son had a life-threatening food allergy, Elise and Mark contacted the Food Allergy Initiative, based in New York, and have formed the first satellite chapter of the organization in Seattle. FAI Northwest held their first fund- raiser in May, raising money that stays in the area to fund both research for a cure and education—because children are a large percentage of people developing new allergies, many first-time reactions can happen at daycare or school, making awareness and education among those populations extremely important. Elise says Clint attends a peanut-free preschool, and when he visits friends or attends birthday parties he brings his own food. She and Mark are also teaching him to always ask if food served
to him is safe before eating it. Any new situations, however, always come with stress, but Elise says she works hard to remain calm. “You don’t want (your child) to grow up in a bubble.” Recently, the family also learned their 8-year-old son, Mitch Flippo, is allergic to shellfish. With two children who have two different food allergies, Elise says the Food Allergy Initiative Northwest helps her feel as though she’s doing something. “As a parent with a child with a life-threatening food allergy, you have a tendency to have a lot of nervous energy. It’s nice for my husband and I to direct our nervous energy into something positive.” For more information about the Food Allergy Initiative, visit www.foodallergyinitiative.org. If you are interested in getting involved with the
Northwest chapter,
Elise can be reached at
425-957-0251.
A PHILANTHROPIC EDUCATION Ten years ago, a group of women decided they wanted to start a nonprofit organization that would give women a chance to learn about philanthropy and enable them to give wisely. Now at 470 members, Dorothy Nelson says the Washington Women’s Foundation has given her and the other members a “very good education in philanthropy,” because of the variety of organizations the foundation gives grants to. The foundation’s grant committee reviews all the proposals they receive in five different categories (the environment, arts and culture, education, health and social services) and determine three from each category that will receive a site visit. Dorothy says the site visits are fun, and
help members learn about the nonprofits in the area. WWF members each donate $2,000 per year, with $1,000 going into the group’s pool and $1,000 for each woman to give as she wishes. Since its inception, the Washington Women’s Foundation has given more than $6 million. Dorothy also spends some of her time as a CASA—court-appointed special advocate. Through the CASA program, she works in the King County Superior Court system, acting as an advocate for children whose parents are involved in divorce, paternity and third-party custody and modification cases. “When you get a custody case or divorce case, the two parties can really go at it and the child is left out. So CASA is the advocate for the child. The court asks for a CASA,” says Dorothy. Her job when she accepts a case is to interview people in the child’s life, such as grandparents, aunts and uncles, teachers, daycare providers or doctors. Each person signs a release so all information requested is available to the CASA. The information collected from interviews is then taken into consideration, and the CASA writes a report. “It’s so great, it’s so much fun to do,” says Dorothy. She has completed two cases, and each took between 150 and 200 hours. “The last report I did was 16 pages, so you can imagine how much material (that is).” Ultimately, the CASA gives a recommendation in the report about what should happen with the child. Sometimes a judge will agree, and sometimes he or she won’t, but with a CASA, there is someone looking out for the child.
